Arlington County, Arlington Rat Control Situation:
Hello. I don't know if this is something you still do, but I need some expert advise so thought I'd give it a try! We are renting a house in Alexandria VA west of DC. I think it was built in the 60's, a ranch style home, and has been renovated but has much of the original doors, framework, etc. The guest bathroom in particular is not sealed off properly. It was an add-on and not done correctly, so the slab is cracked and eroding, as well as rotten wood with holes in it sealed with foam of all things! We have a beautiful courtyard and put out a couple bird feeders, but recently took them down when we noticed the sounds of critters in the attic. We've looked up there and so far the insulation looks almost new and other than a few cobwebs it's pretty clean up there. But there are a few droppings! I want to catch this early and eradicate the problem as quickly and humanely as possible for our safety and for the safety of our landlords house. It looks like you suggest sealing first, then traps, then clean-up. What do you think about the birdseed? Is it to blame? Or the wide open house? Can the rats be coming in from below the slab? My husband, ( this is his email btw) has heard them under the tub in the guest bathroom:// Any other tips? And are you by chance nearby in Arlington VA? Probably not, but just thought I'd check! Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thank you for your time!
My response: The slab could be to blame. Perhaps there are multiple entries. I wouldn't know without seeing it, but I live in Orlando. Bird seed does attract rats, but really, the problem is that there are openings leading inside the house.
We have a roof rat problem. We've heard the little critter crawling around in our daughters upstairs bedroom (refinished attic /bedroom) for awhile now. My wife also saw the little guy in action on our neighbors bird feeder at about 3:30am this morning and then watched him head back up to our roof. That pretty much sealed the deal that we weren't dealing with squirrels... I can see a few potential issues. We don't have a way into the attic because of the way it was refinished. When previous owner did renovations, they didn't leave access point to portion of attic that is unfinished. There is also some flashing on roof that is pulled up and near where we hear the most noises. I was going to secure it, but don't want to trap anything in... Contact info is below. Give me a call on my cell, anytime, and I can go into more detail for you. Hopefully you can give me a rough estimate on the phone and then we can proceed from there. Definitely want to get this issue resolved. :)
Arlington Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why You Should Never Poison A Rat
Whenever people have a rat problem in their house, the first solution that does run through their mind is to poison the rats. Apart from being an inhumane way of getting rid of rats, the use of this method of rat removal has more disadvantages than the quick solution that it offers.
Are you also thinking of poisoning the rats in your home? If yes, you need to take a look at the following reasons why the poisoning of rats is a bad idea.
A Danger To Pets And Non-target Animals
Rats poisons are usually mixed with rat baits or food substances with a strong smell in order to help attract rats. Alongside attracting the rats in your home, this poison will also attract your pet and any other animals. When consumed, this could lead to the unfortunate death of your pets.
Apart from that, when rats are poisoned and improperly disposed of, scavengers like a hawk that feeds on dead rats can also get poisoned when they feed on a poisoned rat.
Danger To Your Home
When you poison rats, never expect them to die where you can easily find them. When rats are feeling unwell, they tend to isolate themselves in places that are hidden. As a result of this, when rats die in your home, you will have to search your house thoroughly before you can find them. And if you can't find them, you will have to cope with the horrible smell of the decomposing rat bodies.
There are even instances where homeowners have to break into the wall of their house just to remove a poisoned rat.
The indiscriminate use of rat poison can also contaminate your food when rats consume the poison and begin to feed on other things in your home as they move around.
Having shared this, you need to consider other ways of removing rats in your home to keep your environment safe.
